5 things we learned from Steelers win in Ireland: 'Jumbo' package aids run game

Some observations gleaned from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-21 victory Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin:

1. Going Jumbo

Get ready, Steelers fans. For the next home game, you might have yourself a new folk hero.

A few years after Zach Banner became recognizable because he was so often introduced to the crowd during games via “Number 72 has reported as eligible,” Spencer Anderson has become the newest most “eligible” man in Pittsburgh.

After dipping their proverbial toe into it through three weeks of the season, the Steelers relied heavily on using a sixth offensive lineman to aid the running game Sunday. Anderson, the top reserve guard, played a whopping 19 offensive snaps (36% of the game total), typically lined up as a “tight end.”

For perspective, that’s more snaps than “starting” tight ends Pat Freiermuth (15) and Jonnu Smith (13) played. More than tight end/fullback Connor Heyward (16) did, too.

In fact, one could make an argument the Steelers in effect went with seven offensive linemen for many plays — 6-foot-7 Darnell Washington weighs more than 300 pounds and is often suggested as a future NFL tackle.

The “jumbo” look paid off in one of the Steelers’ most productive rushing game of the season: 131 yards. Seven of the Steelers’ eight top-gaining rushing plays — and seven of the 12 highest-gaining plays overall — came with Anderson in the game as an “eligible.”

2. (Still) quick and short

Aaron Rodgers continued to “dink and dunk” more than any quarterback in the league. Among all passers in Week 4 through Sunday, Rodgers’ 2.17-second average time from snap to throw (all data courtesy NFL Next Gen Stats) was by far the quickest in the NFL and the quickest for Rodgers over at least the past decade. The average “air yards” (how far beyond the line of scrimmage) a Rodgers’ pass was intended (2.6) was so low it was almost half the second-lowest intended air yards figure for the week (Las Vegas’ Geno Smith, 4.8). The 2.0 air yards of the average Rodgers’ completion was second-lowest to Smith’s 1.4. And the average Rodgers pass being aimed 6.2 yards behind the sticks was — again — easily the lowest figure across the league over the weekend.

For the full four-week season (headed into Monday night’s games), Rodgers has the shortest average time to throw (2.52 seconds), intended pass (4.8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage) and completed pass (2.7 yards beyond the line of scrimmage). His average pass intended 4.7 yards behind the first-down line is also the lowest figure in the league.

The good news? When letting go of the ball in 2.5 seconds or less, Rodgers against Minnesota completed 13 of 16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.

2. DK is OK

DK Metcalf’s 80-yard touchdown during the second quarter was the second-longest scoring reception of his seven-year career — the only one accounting for more was an 84-yard reception in October 2021.

Metcalf, who finished Sunday’s game with five catches for 126 yards, has 15 career 100-yard receiving games and 14 career receptions of at least 50 yards. He now has a touchdown in three consecutive games, the first time he’s done that since the first three games of the 2020 season.

The play accounted for the eighth touchdown pass of at least 80 yards over Rodgers’ 21-year career. It was the 91st Rodgers completion of 50 or more yards. That breaks an NFL record set by Drew Brees, who had 90 passes that gained at least 50 yards in his 20-year career.

4. Fast man

Next Gen calculates the speed of players on the field. And what it relayed about Payton Wilson is astounding. En route to his tackle of Jordan Addison at the 1 yard-line on Addison’s 81-yard catch-and-run, Wilson reached a top speed of 22.48 mph.

That is the fastest top speed for any linebacker in the NFL on any play over the past eight seasons. And for context on how fast the 242-pound Wilson was running, consider that no NFL player carrying the ball — no wide receiver, no “scat” back, no cornerback on an interception return — has run as fast as 22.48 mph in a game over the past five seasons.

5. Underwater

The Steelers are 3-1, but they have had fewer total yards than their opponent during each game this season. Sunday was the first time this season the Steelers came within even 100 yards of the opposition — the Vikings outgained them 372-313.

The 312 gained was a season-best, and the 372 allowed was only 3 yards off the low-water mark allowed by the defense this season (the week before, the New England Patriots were “limited” to 369 yards. On average, the Steelers are outgained by 119.0 yards per game, the worst in the NFL.

No other team with a winning record has been outgained in every game so far this season.